The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-08-23
AT THE TABERNACLE.
Disceurses by Elders Livings-
tone and Naisbitt. g
SAINTS AND THEIR STRENGTH
Increasing In Power-Christeudo az
. Section OF the Human Family
( A-Psr4ersionsJand Fslsehoods 81

,ow 5sgI 9d4--77---44 -aiUaI .si nj
The services at the Tabernacle. last
Sunday sfternoonI we're opened by
singing the hymn commencing:
Great Ged, attend while Zion sings! h"S >
The Joy that from Thy presence springs.
Prayer was offered by Elder Isaac
Groo, after which the choir and con-
gregation sang the hymn commencing;
How firm q foundation, ye Saints of the
Lord.
55ELDER CHARLES LIVINGSTONE then ad-
dressed the congregation. He said that
he had never been called upon to ad-
dress so large congregation before in
his life, but it. was one. of the duties OF
the elders to preach the gospel when
ever they had the opportunity to do so.
One of the arguments brought again st
the Lstter-day Saints was that they
had no minds of their own, but
it was false. To those who obeyed
the gospel, and who had the love
of it in their hearts, every duty was a
pleasure, but if mans only object was
to build up his pride, the Lord would
soon take away from him his power ).
and his influence with the people. If
an elder was humble and inclined to
God, he would have power in proper
ton, and such q man, when he arose to
address a congregation, though he
lacked eloquence and learning, would
still exercise power upon the people,
because thel of God was in his heart
as well as theirs. This was what made
it a pleasure and delight for Latter
day Saint to perform the duties de-
yoiving upon him. It mattered not how
poor, or in what humble circumstances
an elder might be, if he were called to
90 on a mission TO preach the gospel
in distant lands, he would be glad of the
opportunity to go. The secret of the
unity among the Saints was their
love of the gospel, and their ODE
dience to its principles. 1t was not the
craftiness of men that united and
guided the Saints. What God desired
was sacrifice of a contrite heart. The
Saints met together frequently, to get
strength, and to obtain the blessings OF
God; to reflect upon His goodness, and
to offer up praises. If the Saints were
to depend upon their own strength,
they would be speedily overthrown, but
they depended upon the strength OF
God, and the greater the difficulties
they had to meet, the greater was their
faith and effort to Owe come them. The
speaker said he did not wish to lengthen
his remarks, and testified that this was
the work and Kingdom OF God. Every
principle of the gospel would better the
0f VIZ hrQHa6 Z
It would benefit them temporarily,
morally and spiritually. This was the
object of the gospel. 90. * GA "a
Elder Henry w. Naisbitt was the
next speaker, He said he had listened
to the remarks of Elder Livingston with
much pleasure, and was reminded how
the power and influence of of the gospel
might increase with mans growth,
for the preceding speaker and himself
first met when they were lads, without
experience, on their journey from their
native lands to this sacred land which
had been dedicated by Jehovah, and re-
served by his power divine for the es
Enlistment of his kingdom, and he
realized in connection with this, that
the Saints were increasing in power,
knowledge and influence. A careless
and negligent man became like Sam
son, shorn of his locks, for only faith
and works developed strength. The
faithful, who delighted in keeping the
commands of God, became more
and more manly, more refined, and
their power among the people in
creased. A man doing this might be-
come teacher to those superior to him
in other things, and he was an example
to all of what truth and integrity would
develope. The Saints met together on
the Sabbath day as men did everywhere
in Christendom. They came in com
mand to their religious instinct which
God had implanted in men. They met
to satisfy and crafty that instinct, and
to escape Gods disapprobation. This
sentiment was the keynote of all the
religious organizations with which the
world was filled. This instinct, which
made men inherently religious, also
promoted them to seek to understand
and to worship some one superior to
him. But for this, all the priestcraft
and religious institutions on the face of
the earth would disappear, as the SHOWS
vanish from the mountain tops under
the heat of summer.
Christendom, as section of the hui
man family, claimed to be superior to
all others on earth, and in manifesta-
ton of this, sent missionaries TO all
parts of the world, and their bible is
circulated with a perseverance, which
betokened the fault and earnestness OF
those engaged in the work. This work
was carried on in sacrifice OF means,
time and many things necessary to the
success of any effort made to ameliorate
the condition of mankind. While doing
this they had increased in influence and
modified the habits and institution of
the lower races, just in proportion as
they chung to the teachings of the Bible.
Yet strangely enough while Chris
tendon had done this in the aggregate,
and been active and valiant and multi
piled by millions the word of God, and
iauded the name of Jesus Christ, yet
they had departed from the beauty and
simplicity which accompanied the or
der of things revealed and established
by Jesus Christ. Referring again to the
religious sentiment, the speaker said it
needed no argument to show that twas
inherent in man. Facts disclosed that
it was a part of His organization, and
the inevitable conclusion was that being
so, it was implanted by divine wisdom,
and being there by virtue of that wis
dom, provision had been made for Its
proper development, and for securing